**Obama's new Christmas Tree Tax** No Joke........

President Obama’s Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.

In the Federal Register of November 8, 2011, Acting Administrator of Agricultural Marketing David R. Shipman announced that the Secretary of Agriculture will appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board. The purpose of the Board is to run a “program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information designed to strengthen the Christmas tree industry’s position in the marketplace; maintain and expend existing markets for Christmas trees; and to carry out programs, plans, and projects designed to provide maximum benefits to the Christmas tree industry” (7 CFR 1214.46(n)). And the program of “information” is to include efforts to “enhance the image of Christmas trees and the Christmas tree industry in the United States” (7 CFR 1214.10). [link to blog.heritage.org]

But this cannot be. President Obama promised over and over again that he would absolutely, no way no how would he tax anyone making less than $250,000 a year.

And all those poor out of work people struggling to buy a christmas tree so little johnny can at least have a tree even though the family can't afford to get him any other presents will pay 15 cents more of their savings.

There is already some sort of fee on most agriculture products that you buy, you just don't know it. The government is always first in line to get paid, even when the farmer is losing money when selling.

I don't do math well,,,,but....So for roughly 150 million Christmas trees, that would bring in about $2,250,000. Pocket change for the tree growers. :scr:

Quoting: Arnie

Yes only someone elses pocket change... not your pocket change...

This is again just one more expansion of a government funded program... Let see how many cost over-runs or effieciency problems they will have.... Here is a novel ideal... how about getting the government out of the XMAS tree industry as a whole. Why is the government creating a tax to fund the "PROMOTION of XMAS trees" how about we just let the industry itself advertise... Many people in my area grow trees, and its not just a simple set it forget... it takes years of work, fertilizer, upkeep, and the like......